Gold-saving apparatus.



Patented lan. 8, |90I.

r. J. nnAxE.

GOLD SAVING APPARATUS.

(Application tiled In. 81, 1900.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Patented 1an. s, |901r F. J. DRAKE.

GOLD SAVING APPARATUS.

(Application led Jan. 81, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS J. DRAKE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GOLD-SAVING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 665,773, dated January 8, 1901.

Application filed January 31, 1900. Serial No. 3,397. (No model.)

T0 all whois@ it' may concern):

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. DRAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented an Improvement in Gold-Saving Apparatus; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed to save gold and like heavy or valuable material which it is desired to separate from lighter gangue with which it is found associated.

It consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3isalongitudinal section through the center of the riftles.

Sluices and shaking-tables have been heretofore provided with rii'ies of various descriptions extending transversely and adapted to concentrate heavy gold sulfurets and other heavy material and separate them from lighter sand and material with which they may be associated. Mercury has also been used in conjunction with such riftles, with Which mercury the gold is intended to amalgamate. When the gold is coarse and easily separated, much of it may be saved by such apparatus; but in many cases the gold is extremely fine in thin flakes or particles of such a nature that they have about the same specific gravity with the worthless material, and it is difficult to separat-e such gold or to bring it into contact with mercury, so as to amalgamate and save it.

It is the object of my invention to more perfectly save such gold, and generally to separate heavy and light material.

In carrying out my invention I employ any suitable base or su pporting-frame, as A, and by means of elastic supports or hangers 2 a supplemental frame 3 is so supported that it may be easily vibrated or oscillated from side to side. I Transversely across this frame are tted the sections of my improved riftle, as.

Will be hereinafter described. Various devices may be employed for oscillating the frame. As I have here shown, 4 indicates eccentrics, of Which there may be one mounted near each end of the frame 3 upon a shaft 5, which is so journaled With relation to the frame to be oscillated that by means of dexible or other connecting-rods 6 the motion of the eccentric may be transmitted to the frame, any suitable connection being made between the ends of the eccentric-rod 6 and the frame. The side bars 3 of this frame, as here shown, are made L-shaped, having ledges projecting inwardly atthe bottom, and upon these ledges the sections of which the riftles are formed are adapted to rest.

The springs 2, by which the frame 3 is supported, are here shown as bent at the top and bolted or otherwise secured upon the upper edges of the frame-timbers 3. The lower ends of these springs are formed into screw-bolts, and by means of nuts turning upon the threads of these bolts or by other suitable and equivalent mechanism these supports may be raised or depressed at will, thus varying the inclination of the frame 3 in which the riftle-sections are supported. These rifiiesections are made of Wood and are of any suitable length trans versely, depending upon the Width of the frame. a length of about three feet of these sections from side to side of the frame and a Width of approximately eight inches are very satisfactory, and as many of these sections are employed as will fill the frame from end to end. The lower surface of each of these sections is inclined with relation to the frames, so that When this lower surface is supported upon the side frames 3 the section ends will stand vertical, the adjustment of the frame 3 having been first determined upon to suit the character of ore for Which the apparatus is to be used.

The upper surface ofY the rife-sections has a concave curvature at each end connecting With atransverse horizontally-depressed portion, and this concaved surface is cut into channels, as shown at 7, with intervening ribs 8 of approximately the same Width as the channels. These channels have the sides of the ribs cut parallel with the vertical ends of the sections, and correspondingly at `an inclination with the inclined bottom and the surface upon Which this bottom is supported, so that when the riftles are in place the sides of the channels will all stand vertically, and

I have found thatv IOO the bottoms of the channels will be horizontal and at right angles with the vertical sides without regard to the inclination of the bottom and the support upon which it rests. The upper ends ot' the ribs 8 are also horizontal, and each successive rib from the upper end of the device to the lower is a little lower than the preceding one. The bottoms of the channels 7 are likewise each made a little deeper than the preceding one, so that they approximately have the same depth, but each one a little lower than the one before it. The sections of which these rifliles are made having been placed so as to rest upon the L-shaped ledges of the side frames 3, they are secured in place by means of angleplates 9, which are bent so that they press upon the upper edges of these rifle-sections and extend downwardly therefrom, having the lower ends formed into or provided With screw-threaded bolts upon which nuts 10 are tted to turn, so that the sections may be clamped down rmly in place.

In order to clamp the sections of riliie together longitudinally, I have shown screw bolts or rods l1 with nuts, through which they are turnable, and clamping-plates 12, against which the extreme end sections of the rilies abut. The riftles having thus been placed are clamped down by the plates 9 and are locked together longitudinally by the screw-bolts 11 and clamping-plates 12, so that when placed and secured they form practically a solid continuous rifiie from one end to the other. These sections can be removed and replaced independently of each other by simply loosening the securing devices.

An important feature of the construction of this apparatus is the peculiar arrangement of the channels 7 with the vertical sides and horizontal bottoms which form peculiar eddies or movements of the current owing over the ribs 8 from one channel to the other, and this action is particularly efficient in settling the gold and heavy material into the bottom of the channels and preventing it from being stirred up and carried over from one channel to the next. Another import-ant feature of the construction is the concaved lines of curvature shown at 13, where the horizontal transverse lines of the bottoms of the channels and the tops of the ribs meet the corresponding vertical portions at the ends of the channels and ribs, this curvature serving to keep the sand and material loose and prevent it from becoming packed in the bottom of the channels, as would occur if the ends ot these channels were angular. As here constructed, the constant transverse shaking motion of the apparatus causes the material which is passing down the incline to be moved transversely as well, and that portion of thematerial which is contiguous to these curved ,ends is continually sliding up and down the curvature, and is thus kept active and prevented from banking, so that the whole of the material will be constantly flowing over the ribs and passing down the sluice.

The material to be acted upon is delivered into a receiving-box 14, which extends across the upper end of the apparatus and into which the material is delivered througha pipe 15, having a flexible section 16 at some point in its length which allows the lower portion to move in unison with the transverse shaking movements of the sluice and box, while the upper portion remains stationary. Within the box is a distributer, which consists of an arched convex surface 17, upon the upper portion of which the material lirst falls, and this convex surface diverofes outwardly in every direction from the top, and thus distributes the material to the discharge passage 18, through which it passes and falls upon a smooth upper end of the iirst section of the rifiie, where it is further distributed, and a sufficient supply of water being introduced with the pulp or material it is rendered thin enough to flow freely over the rifl'le toward the lower end, the action of separation and settling taking place within the transverse channels, as previously1 described. When the material contains free gold of a character which it is diiiicult to amalgamate, the amalgamation is assisted, and the gold is brightened and brought into intimate contact with the mercury in each channel by means oi' plates 19, which are supported by transverse arms or bars 20, extending from one side to the other of the apparatus, where they are suitably supported.

The plates or blades 19 may be of copper or other amalgamated material, and the lower edges are curved coinciden tly with the curvature of the bottoms of the channels, and the lower edges of the plates come into close contact with or dip into the surface of mercury which would be contained in the channels where gold is to be amalgamated. The constant transverse shaking of the channeled riles causes a frictional rubbing action of the material against the plates as it is shaken from side to side, and this will brighten any rusty or coated gold and bring it into intimate contact with the plate, where it may be amalgamated; but to make this operation more certain the material is all forced into the body of mercury in each channel by passing beneath the edges ot' the plates, so that before the end of the apparatus is reached all of the material will have been repeatedly brought into contact with the amalgamated surfaces and mercury, and little or no gold will remain in it. As here shown, the plates 20 have socket-pieces 21 on the ends, with set or holding screws 22, and upon the side timbers of the frame are fixed vertical rods or supports 23. The sleeves 21 are slidable upon these rods 23, and they may be'thus raised or lowered and adjusted with relation to the channels, so that they dip more or less deeply into them. If desired, all of the channels may be IOO IIO

provided with these plates, or each alternate channel or a lesser number, and the plates may be varied in their adjustment with relation to the channels to produce different degrees of action as the material passes from one end to the other of the apparatus, and any adjustment may be made which will have the best effect upon the passing material.

I have here described the apparatus as supported upon elastic or flexible arms or standards 2, extending upwardly from below; but it will be manifest that similar arms or rods could extend downwardly from the supporting-frame and admit of the same transverse shaking motion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an apparatus for saving gold and the like, the combination of a supporting-frame, riffle-sections supported upon said frame and having channels extending transversely said channels having a concaved curvature at each end, and vertical plates fixed to thesections and having their lower edges dipping into the channels, and having their lower angles formed convex to correspond with the end concavities of the channels whereby the sand and material is kept loose and is prevented from packing in the channels.

2. A gold-saving apparatus consisting of a movably-supported longitudinally-inclined frame, and mechanism by which a transverse oscillation may be produced, independent wooden sections supported upon said frame, said sections having the bottoms inclined coincident with the inclination of the frame, and vertical meeting ends, depressed upper surfaces extending between the sides of the sections and united thereto by concaved curvatures, each of said sections formed with a plurality of correspondingly-shaped transverse channels formed across said surfaces with horizontal bottoms and intermediate ribs with horizontal surfaces lying in successivelylower levels, and,vertical sides,vertical plates xed to the sections and having their lower edges dipping into the channels,the lower angles of said plates being made of convex form to correspond with the end concavities of the channels, clamps by which the sections are held down upon the supporting-frame and longitudinal locking devices by which they are clamped together lengthwise of the frame.

3. In a gold -saving apparatus, a transversely shaking longitudinally inclined frame, having a series of independently-removable transverse sections supported thereon, said sections having the bottoms inclined coincident with the inclination of the frame, vertical meeting ends, depressed upper surfaces extending horizontally from side to side, and having upward concaved curvatures at each end,correspondingly-shaped channels of substantially uniform depth extending transversely across the upper surfaces of said sections with similar upwardly-curved ends, the bottoms of said channels and the tops of the intermediate ribs being horizontal in the direction of the length of the apparatus, and each succeeding one being slightly lower than the next preceding vertical side walls of said channels, plates secured to the sections and dipping into the channels and having their lower angles convex to iit the end concavities of said channels, means for locking the sections independently to the supporting-frame, and means for clamping the sections together longitudinally with relation to the frame.

4. In a gold-saving apparatus, a longitudinally-inclined transversely-oscillating frame, independent transversely-channeled sections secured to said frame to form a series from one end to the other, said channels having a substantially uniform depth and havinghorizontal bottoms lying in successively lower planes, and vertical sides and concaved upwardly-curved ends, correspondingly-shaped vertically-disposed plates, and means including supports having socket-pieces and vertical rods and adjusting means for supporting said plates so that the lower edges dip into the channels.

5. In a gold-saving apparatus, a longitudinally-incli ned horizontal shaking-frame,trans versely-channeled sections supported upon said frame, vertically-adjustable plates, the lower edges of which correspond in shape with the channels and dip therein, a receiving-box mounted upon the frame and movable therewith having a supply-pipe with exible section, a convex arched distributer within the box, upon the apex of which the material is received whereby it iiows in divergent lines outwardly toward the sides of the box, a slot or channel through which material is delivered from the box upon the upper unchanneled end of the uppermost section.

. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANCIS J. DRAKE.

Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, J Essm C. BRoDIE.

IOO 

